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Thursday, June 14, 2012

Yoga triumph

So, I mentioned that while in Maine I took a yoga class that was totally wrong for me. Regardless, I committed to two additional classes the following week at the same studio.

I attended a one-hour Power class and absolutely loved it. The practice was led by the owner of the studio and she gave me the challenge I needed. I sweat so much I had to flip my mat over halfway through the practice. It's not that I don't appreciate the emotional and mental aspects of Yoga, it's just that I prefer to incorporate them into the physical aspect at my own pace. I don't like having those elements forced on me when I'm not open to them. When the instructor asked us to set an intention in the Power class, I chose to open my hips up throughout the hour. By the end of the practice, I felt it. I was there. I stayed on task and got the mental workout I also needed.

The Power class was so awesomely intense I could barely move the next day. So I headed to the Slow Flow two days later to work that out. Again, this class was more my pace. It gave variations and while it wasn't as physically strenuous as a Power class, it did offer a challenge. Which was good, because remember how I could barely move? Oh man.

What's my point, you ask? Well. I want you to know that even after 7 years of practicing Yoga, I occasionally attend a class I don't like. But I don't let it discourage me from continuing my practice. I understand that on any given day, a teacher could be "off." That might mean my practice suffers because s/he didn't deliver for the students. And just because I don't like one style of Yoga, it doesn't mean I won't like another.